Musical instrument.



No. 721,063. PATENTED FEB. 17, 1903. J. MOHR.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 15. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

5 vwemtoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MOHR, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,063, dated February 17, 1903. Application filed December 15, 1902. Serial No. 135,314. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN MOHR, a citizen of Germany, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to musical instruments of that kind which are designed to be attached or connected to a door, so as to be operated thereby and caused to produce a tune or jingle when the door is opened or closed, a series of balls being suspended by cords above a series of vibrating devices or sound-producing elements, so as to be swayed to strike against the same by movement of the door.

The principal objects ofthe invention are to provide a simple and improved instrument of this character, to dispense with tuning of strings or other note-producing elements, and to produce a musical chord or jingle of sweeter and more pleasing quality. These objects are attained by means substantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l isafront view of a musical instrument embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a central vertical cross-section thereof. Fig. 3 represents, on a reduced scale, the instrument attached to a door. Fig. 4: shows, on a similar scale, the instrument secured to the wall above the door and having suitable connection therewith to sway the balls when the door is opened or closed; and Fig. 5 represents a musical staff having the various notes produced by the particular instrument illustrated herein indicated thereon.

The letterA designates the frame of the instrument, which may be of any desired form and design. Within this frame are suspended a series of metal sound-producing elementssuch as steel plates, rods, or tu bes which are held in position by suitable cords or wires, so as to be out of contact with the frame, whereby said elements can vibrate freely and produce clear tones. As shown,

said elements consist of alternately-arranged metal plates and tubes designated by the letters O, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K. The upper element or plate 0 is suspended by suitable cords or wires'fr'om a transverse support orbridge B across the upper part of the frame. The tube D is similarly suspended from said plate. From said tube islikewise suspended the next plate E, from which is suspended the next tube F, and so on, each element being suspended by suitable cords or wires from the next element above it. The lowermost elementv or plate K is shown connected by tight wires or cords to the frame, and so likewise is one of the longer central elements or tube F, so as to hold the series of elements steady and prevent them from swaying to and fro. The said plates and tubes may, however, be suspended by other arrangements.

A bridge or support L extends across the top of the frame a suitable distance above the uppermost plate 0, and a number of cords are suspended from said bridge carrying a series of balls 0, cl, e, f, g, h, i, j, and 7c, adapted to strike against the correspondingly-denominated plates and tubes when the instrument is moved or when the balls are swayed to and fro. A very beautiful chord or jingle is thus produced by reason of the clear-sounding notes resulting from the suspended plates and tubes, and such chord or jingle is rendered peculiarly pleasing by reason of the tones of difierent character or quality resulting from the plates and tubes.

Fig. 5 shows a musical staff having the notes produced by the particular instrument illustrated herein indicated thereon. Thus the first note is produced by the ball 0 striking against the plate 0. This is the same as the sixth note produced later by the ball 71. striking against the tube H; but the character of said sixth note is different from that of the first, since one is produced by striking a plate and the other a tube. Similarly the second and third notes and also the seventh and eighth notes are equal in pitch, but difierent in character, one being produced by striking a plate and the other by striking a tube. This results in a very attractive combination of tones.

The pendent cords being of differentlengths, they oscillate in different arcs, and hence the balls strike the plates and pipes successively, thus producing a quick tune or jingle. The

by screws to a several plates and pipes are of course selected as to pitch, so that the notes resulting from all of them are in harmony. It will be understood that elements of any desired pitch may be employed.

In Fig. 3 the whole device is shown attached door, so that when the door is swung the balls are swayed and the music sounded.

In Fig. 4: the instrument is shown secured to the wall above the door. In this instance the cords depend from a cross-piece M, attached by a spring N to the frame A in such manner that said cross-piece normally stands a short distance from the frame. The door carries an upright rod 0 suitably secured thereto. When the door is closed, this rod strikes against the cross-piece M, thus shaking it and setting the balls in motion. The same result occurs when the door is opened, since the rod releases the cross-piece and allows it to vibrate by force of the spring.

It will be observed that the necessity of frequently tuning the instrument, as in the case of instruments having a series of strings for the balls to strike against, is dispensed with, since the metal sound-producing ele ments are constant in pitch.

The instrument may be attached or connected to other movable objects, such as windows, or may be connected to a suitable device for moving it or swaying the balls constantly, if desired, and other connections between the instrument and door or other moving object may be adopted.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A musical instrument adapted to be attached or connected to a door or other movable object, and consisting of a suspended series of metallic sonorous elements having suitable musical pitches and a series of suspended balls which swaywhen the door or object is moved and strike against said elements, substantially as described.

2. A musical instrument of the character stated consisting of a frame, a bridge or support across said frame, a series of metallic elements suspended from said bridge out of contact with each other, a bridge or crosspiece above said elements, and a series of cords depending from the latter having balls attached thereto adapted to sway to and fro and strike against said elements, substantially as described.

3. A musical instrument of the character stated having a vertically-disposed series of metal tubes and plates, adapted when struck to produce notes of different character, and a series of balls carried by pendent cords adapted to sway to and fro to cause the balls to strike against said plates and tubes, substantially as described.

4. A musical instrument of the character stated having a vertically-arranged series of alternating plates and tubes, some of the tubes being the'same in pitch as someof the plates, and a series of pendent cords carrying balls adapted to strike against said plates and tubes, substantially as described.

5. A musical instrument of the character stated consisting of a frame having an inclosed space, a series of metallic sonorous elements suspended one from another within said frame, cords or wires connecting certain elements with the frame to prevent them from swinging, and a series of balls suspended bycords from above said elements and adapted to sway and strike against the same, substantially as described.

In testimony'whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN MOHR.

Witnesses CARL RASSBAOH, PHILIP SCHWARTZ. 

